Scott O'Neil is a thought leader, and a first time author who had recently released his new book, “Be Where Your Feet Are”. His book is refreshingly candid and vulnerable, and very timely given all the things we learned during the pandemic about how emotional intelligence is trumping mental intelligence, especially in regards to what people want most in their leaders. Scott provides a vivid reminder of how short and unpredictable life is, so we need to be super intentional about how we spend our time and who we spend it with. Learn more at CultBrandSecrets.com ..read more

Benevity started in 2008 as a micro-donation platform to help different company’s employees donate to causes they believe in, and possibly enjoy a company match of some sort; but Benevity really hit their stride in 2013 when Nike chose them as their enterprise CSR solution. With that iconic client and case study under their belt; Benevity went on to win hundreds of new clients, go global with European operations, and hire over 1000 employees. Sona Khosla, Benevity’s Chief Impact Officer, shares personal stories about her life, and reminds us that our careers and our companies should be about ..read more

What drives culture? We think it’s when a moment becomes a movement. Traditionally, a select few have defined culture. But not anymore. Enter TikTok. A platform that empowers everyone to become a creator, where anyone can contribute their voice and be heard. Where content becomes joyful collaboration and a moment inspires a movement. In this episode of Cult Brand Secrets: Khartoon Wiess, TikTok’s Global Head of Agency & Accounts shares insight into how and why TikTok has become the fastest-growing social media platform on the internet. Learn more at CultBrandSecrets.com ..read more

Brian Whipple’s leadership skills, and communication skills, and business acumen, are off the charts. His company, Accenture Interactive, produces customer experiences for the world’s biggest and best brands. He showcases an admirable ability to come up with big, bold ideas, and also to expertly execute and bring those ideas to life in compelling ways. Brian reminds us that all business is personal, and our human interactions matter as much as our intelligence, or our creative ideas, our grit, or our work ethic. Learn more at CultBrandSecrets.com ..read more

NOBULL was founded in 2014, and they are already extremely successful. They are punching well above their weight, and a big reason for that is what CMO Todd Meleney will share about how culture fuels growth and how they don’t accept that growth or success creates culture.  NOBULL's brand and marketing strategy masterfully employs multiple cult brand principles, and they have fully embraced an insurgent mentality that is so vital when taking on incumbents as capable as Nike, Adidas and Under Armor. Learn more at CultBrandSecrets.com ..read more

So many remarkable success stories start out as seemingly bad ideas. But that’s what makes their success so much more noteworthy. Building an NHL franchise in the dessert, in a market not known for being very family friendly, a market with no other professional sport team, was viewed by many as a big mistake. But Brian was the right guy to rise to the challenge. He’s a tremendous marketing mind, In fact, I’ll go so far as to say Brian Killingsworth is one of the top sports marketing experts in the world. Brian’s success is making it so that regardless of win or lose, all the fans had a truly m ..read more

Each year, The Gathering brings together disruptors from around the globe to learn from, and celebrate, the leaders behind iconic brands like Marvel, Skittles, Beats by Dre, Yeti, and the Dallas Cowboys. For the first time ever, these unique and enlightening presentations can be heard any time and anywhere on this podcast. Cult Brand Secrets is an anthology of the greatest and most influential presentations The Gathering has to offer, featuring experts that transcend branding to build cult-like adoration of their work. Additionally, host Chris Kneeland uses his own experience in associating w ..read more

NOBULL was founded in 2014, and they are already extremely successful. They are punching well above their weight, and a big reason for that is what CMO Todd Meleney will share about how culture fuels growth and how they don’t accept that growth or success creates culture.  NOBULL's brand and marketing strategy masterfully employs multiple cult brand principles, and they have fully embraced an insurgent mentality that is so vital when taking on incumbents as capable as Nike, Adidas and Under Armor. Learn more at CultBrandSecrets.com ..read more

The Kraken were not honored because of their performance on the ice. In many ways we are really honoring the city of Seattle because of how well that town rallied to qualify for a NHL franchise; how well they created a brand, an arena, and a team that has perfected the playbook for how to launch a new club in a new location. We’ve seen a lot of examples of how these haven’t always gone well. But the Kraken's entry into Seattle is best in class.  Todd Humphey is such a great ambassador for their brand. He’s their SVP of Digital Innovation and Fan Experience. True cult brand leaders worry ..read more

Call of Duty is more than a great game, it's also a genre. It’s a pioneer for e-sports. It’s a movement in mobile gaming. It’s pushing so many boundaries, and redefining what it even means to be a game. The best players in the space are now considered athletes, and entertainers, and celebrities, not just gamers. Johanna Ferris is the GM of Call of Duty at Activision. Her presentation from the 2022 Gathering is so engaging. So immersive. So interactive. So action packed. She refuses to settle for safe or the status quo, and reminds us we are truly fortunate to be able to work in a free country ..read more